Gold usually is recovered from ores or concentrates by solubilization with sodium or potassium cyanide and subsequent precipitation or absorption to recover the precious metal from the solution. Certain gold-bearing ores have substantial quantities of arsenic associated therewith, usually present as a sulphide, and the presence of the arsenic inhibits solubilization of the gold, leading to only low gold recoveries from such ores. Initial roasting of arsenic-containing gold ores prior to cyanidation leads to increased yield but such roasting often leads to atmospheric pollution and is undesirable. Gold ores containing antimony and silver ores containing arsenic or antimony present similar problems.